It's a Crazy World Part 1

How do you enforce a rule that is basically unenforceable? The other day I was in Sainsbury's with my wife, and we bought two packets of their own-brand paracetamol each. Except that the staff at the checkout wouldn't let us - the rule is only two packets, unless bought at the pharmacy. The reason being that the staff should be protected from making the decision whether someone is likely to kill themselves with it. To be fair, this is not an issue with Sainsbury's - all the major High Street supermarkets operate by the same tenet. There are, however several flaws:

1. If my wife and I had not been talking to each other, we could have given the impression that we were not related, bought the paracetamol each, and sailed through.

2. Each time I have questioned the staff about it, they have not been able to provide one shred of written documentation of this policy or clarify the regulation clearly enough to determine whether the rule is two packets per person or per household.

3. Had my wife and I gone to the self-service checkout separately we could have easily purchased the medicine without question.

4. If we went to the same store the following day, we could have found a different member of staff who would not have stopped us from buying the medication.

5. Suppose we did just buy two packets a day for a week? Would that not be enough medication to kill myself with, if that was my intention? And am I right in thinking that there is nothing that their legislation could do about it?

6. Since the medication is on the open shelves, you would think there would be some form of notification of the limitation, right? Wrong.

Someone needs to get some consistency in this, because people like me who need the stuff for pain relief are treated like criminals when there are far more potent items on the shelves that I could buy and do myself in with - bleach, cough medicine, or Tesco Value Bakewell Tarts.